MFY:
I found it interesting to read about how international students view American college. I agree that many Americans are friendly and offer invitations but most don’t follow through with the invites. I also agree that many students use “how are you” more as hi/goodbye instead of starting a conversation. I think students say this to be friendly and polite but are always on the go. Many students do leave as the classroom as soon as class ends and I think that colleges in Japan probably do have a better network of friends. I think at most colleges you decide if you and your roommate will be friends or just roommates. I think the view of the international students that there is more individualism and independence is accurate. All of my friends love the independence that college brings. Many of my friends only talk to their parents once or twice a week. I think that international students have more a balance between family and friends, social and academics. I agree that professors offer help in the classroom, during office hours, and try to keep the classroom entertaining. I thought it was interesting that international colleges have professors who basically have you on your own. I think most students are informed about the world but some people may ask questions that seem stupid to the international students but the American students are actually curious. I think some reasons that students don’t ask international students about where they are from is because they don’t want to be rude or are unsure if there is a language barrier. I thought this chapter was interesting to read about the international students views.
On Ethnography:
I found it interesting to read about how ethnographers go through a typical study. There is an order to the questions that they ask and a system to their interviewing in order to make sure the data they collect is proper. The background and insights of the interview process was very helpful to read about since it correlates with what we have to do in parts of our CLUE project. I liked the reminder this reading gave us of being aware and knowing our limits when interviewing different cultures since perceptions are commonly misinterpreted.
MFY:
I found it interesting to read about how international students view American college. I agree that many Americans are friendly and offer invitations but most don’t follow through with the invites. I also agree that many students use “how are you” more as hi/goodbye instead of starting a conversation. I think students say this to be friendly and polite but are always on the go. Many students do leave as the classroom as soon as class ends and I think that colleges in Japan probably do have a better network of friends. I think at most colleges you decide if you and your roommate will be friends or just roommates. I think the view of the international students that there is more individualism and independence is accurate. All of my friends love the independence that college brings. Many of my friends only talk to their parents once or twice a week. I think that international students have more a balance between family and friends, social and academics. I agree that professors offer help in the classroom, during office hours, and try to keep the classroom entertaining. I thought it was interesting that international colleges have professors who basically have you on your own. I think most students are informed about the world but some people may ask questions that seem stupid to the international students but the American students are actually curious. I think some reasons that students don’t ask international students about where they are from is because they don’t want to be rude or are unsure if there is a language barrier. I thought this chapter was interesting to read about the international students views.
On Ethnography:
I found it interesting to read about how ethnographers go through a typical study. There is an order to the questions that they ask and a system to their interviewing in order to make sure the data they collect is proper. The background and insights of the interview process was very helpful to read about since it correlates with what we have to do in parts of our CLUE project. I liked the reminder this reading gave us of being aware and knowing our limits when interviewing different cultures since perceptions are commonly misinterpreted.